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Chindamo also conceded that his denial at the time had been “entirely selfish” adding: “I know what I've done was a terrible thing. A horrible thing.”

In 2007 an Asylum and Immigration Tribunal decided not to deport Chindamo to his native Italy, sparking a political row.

He told the court: “I can understand why people would want me deported. I killed someone. I wasn’t born here. Who cares – I’ve killed someone but my family live here. I don’t know anyone in Italy.

The jury also heard Chindamo describe how he worked in the community to prepare for his release from detention.

He said: “First I worked in a stud farm with horses, cleaning horses, mucking. I worked there a couple of months.

“They had me working there a couple of months in the town centre changing tyres.”

But he said he used the name Leo with a different surname so people did not realise who he was.

He said: “I didn’t want people to tip off the press, ring the press and say ‘that bloke’s working there’.”

Describing the events of the day back in December 1995, Chindamo explained he was a member of a gang who had gone to St George’s Roman Catholic School in Maida Vale following a previous altercation with a pupil.

He told the jury: “Threats were made and we went there to sort it out, basically.”

Chindamo, who was not a pupil at the school, described how a fight started and how father-of-four Mr Lawrence came out to break it up.

Describing the fatal attack, he said: “He followed me and my group. I struck him with my hand. As he tapped my shoulder I struck him and I've kicked him as well.”

He went on: “He tapped me on the shoulder a second time. I stabbed him. I’ve turned around as he's tapped me on the shoulder and I've stabbed him in the chest. He's gone to dodge it and it's gone into his arm.”

The blow to the chest punctured Mr Lawrence's heart and he collapsed and died nearby.

Chindamo, is accused of using his notoriety over the 1995 murder as a weapon to mug a man at a cash machine– just four months after he was released from jail in July last year.

David Sexton, 20, was allegedly ordered to hand over money after “disrespecting” Chindamo as he withdrew cash outside a supermarket.

Prosecutors claim flanked by Gregory Jananto, 32, and Saeed Akhtar, 32, the murderer asked Mr Sexton: “Do you know who I am? Do you remember about the head teacher in Maida Vale?”